Rudy Giuliani on Foreclosures

(Giuliani dropped out of the race on Jan. 30, 2008, after finishing a distant third in Florida's Jan. 29 Republican primary. He then endorsed John McCain.)

Giuliani has not spoken extensively on the subject, but has been quoted as saying he opposes the government bailing out homeowners hit by the mortgage crisis because there would be nothing stopping those homeowners from making another mistake. However, he has said he could see the government helping those who were cheated by unethical mortgage lenders. Giuliani says government should take a wider view and concentrate most heavily on strengthening the economy and making the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent. In a related matter, Giuliani has criticized the "FairTax" proposal endorsed by Mike Huckabee because it would eliminate the home mortgage income tax deduction, which has created an incentive for single-family home ownership for decades.